Peaches

Smell is the best indicator of ripeness for this vitamin Amazing fruit, so simply smell to pick a perfect peach. Another good sign? The flesh slightly indents when you press it. And since peaches are very perishable, don’t buy more than you can eat in a day or two. But by all means, get more than a few!

Nutritional information
1 cup, sliced: 60 calories, 0g fat, 15g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 1g protein

There is always talk about cholesterol, lipids, and “good” vs “bad” … but what’s what? Cholesterol and fat are things that most thought were always unhealthy, but research has shown that there are different types, some that increase the risk of heart disease and some that are protective. To check your risk of heart disease, your doctor may order a lipid profile test. This checks the levels of at least four lipid — fat — components in your blood:

Total cholesterol: This is the total amount of cholesterol floating in your bloodstream, some of which may offer protection against heart disease, and some of which may increase your risk. Your total cholesterol level should be less than 200 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter).

LDL cholesterol: LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, cholesterol, usually labeled “bad,” tends to adhere to the inside of blood vessel walls, building up blockages that can cause a heart attack. You want your LDL level to be low — ideally, less than 100 mg/dl, according to the American Heart Association. Between 100 and 129 is considered “near optimal,” 130 to 159 is considered “borderline high,” 160 to 189 is considered “high,” and 190 and above is considered “very high.”

HDL cholesterol: This type of cholesterol is the one many people think of as “good” cholesterol. Instead of sticking to the lining of blood vessels, HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, cholesterol (the so-called good cholesterol) is brought to the liver to be removed from the body — so it reduces your risk of heart disease. You want your HDL level to be high — at least 60 mg/dl or higher. A low HDL level (less than 40 mg/dl for men; less than 50 mg/dl for women) increases the risk of heart disease.

Triglycerides: These fats are also included in a lipid profile. Although it’s not clear whether high triglyceride levels are a risk factor for heart disease by themselves, they usually go hand in hand with other risk factors, such as high total cholesterol or low HDL. If you are obese, inactive, drink a lot of alcohol, or follow a diet very high in carbohydrates, you may have high triglycerides. Your triglyceride level should be less than 150 mg/dl.

Have you gotten a lipid profile report? If not, make an appointment with your Doctor within the next seven days and commit to getting one. If you’ve already gotten the results and your lipid profile is good, that’s excellent, but it doesn’t mean you can eat whatever you want! You need to continue eating healthfully so those lipid levels can stay great!

CAN THREE APPLES A DAY REALLY DRIVE BODY FATS AWAY? 

Piling your plate high is never a good idea…unless you’re eating healthy foods. So is there such a thing as too much of a powerfood?

Not really.

It’s quite simple… The new word used often is “powerfood” really it’s just a catch phrase for foods that will will take care of your hunger. When you eat six times a day—and get enough fiber—you’ll be less inclined to balance a food skyscraper on your plate when you walk back to the kitchen table.

But that doesn’t mean you can go to town when  All-You-Can-Eats places call to you driving home. Watch what you eat, especially since we’re enforcing a Veteran Training food height restriction.

Here are three foods you shouldn’t feel guilty about:

Milk: Have it with cereal, in your coffee, in a glass, or as a shake—just make sure it’s low in fat. Milk builds muscle and fires up weight loss.

Chicken: When you garnish your protein any ways healthy, you’ll slow down to savor the flavor. Eat it with spinach and you’ll forget about food until breakfast.

Almonds: Seriously, go nuts. (Pun intended) When you surround yourself with foods that bust cravings, hunger will be a thing of the past.

Whether you are attempting to lose weight, gain muscle or perform better athletically…portion control is the single most important factor in healthy eating! For every doctor that supports one medical theory, you’ll find a doctor that thinks it’s “rubbish.” For every weight-loss expert who supports one diet plan, you find another who calls it “ridiculous.”

This is why we have started the Veteran Training Blog… to give clear concise accurate answers to the new and advanced fitness enthusiast. We research so much information that we understand how someone hoping to meet their personal goals would get confused. There are so many diet plans and weight loss options available, how are you supposed to choose? Don’t worry, there’s good news! 

The one thing that diet and fitness experts agree on is the importance of portion control! While you may have chosen short-term “drastic” diets in the past to get ready for a special event or to jump-start your weight loss for motivational purposes; without the knowledge, understanding, and practice of portion control, you’re most-likely continuing a never ending cycle to find that weight again.

So we have put together the Veteran Training Portion control sheet to help you to succeed in your Goals.

NACHO CHEESE DORITOS (11 chips)
150 calories
8 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
180 mg sodium

The concept is, well, sort of brilliant: Nachos and cheese without the hassle of a microwave. Or even a plate, for that matter. You just tear open the bag and start eating. And as a parting gift, Dorito’s leave your fingers sticky with something that looks like radioactive bee pollen. Now here’s the question: Do you have any clue what’s in that stuff?

Here you go:

To create each Dorito, the Frito-Lay food scientists draw from a well of 39 different ingredients. How many does it take to make a regular tortilla chip? About three. That means some 36 ingredients wind up in that weird cheese fuzz. Of those 36, only two are ingredients you’d use to make nachos at home: Romano and cheddar cheeses. Alongside those are a cache of empty carbohydrate fillers like dextrin, maltodextrin, dextrose, flour, and corn syrup solids. Then come a rotating cast of oils. Depending on what bag you get, you might find any combination of corn oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, and sunflower oil. Some of those will be partially hydrogenated, meaning they give the chip a longer shelf life and spike your heart with a little shot of trans fat. (The reason you won’t see this on the nutrition label is that FDA guidelines allow food manufacturers to “round down” to zero. We are going to bet your last trainer didn’t know that.)

And then, after the fats and nutritionally empty starches, there’s a seasoning blend, which includes things like sugar, “artificial flavoring,” and a rather worrisome compound called monosodium glutamate. Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is the flavor enhancer largely responsible for the chip’s addicting quality. The drawback is that it interferes with the production of an appetite-regulating hormone called leptin. A study of middle-aged Chinese people found a strong correlation between MSG consumption and body fat. What’s more, the FDA receives new complaints every year from people who react violently to MSG, suffering symptoms like nausea, headaches, burning sensation, numbness, chest pains, dizziness, and so on. Talk about radioactive bee pollen.

Probiotics aren’t the only way to a healthy gut. High-fiber foods like fruits and grains can also stimulate the growth of good bacteria.

You’ve heard of probiotics, those good-for-you bacteria that aid digestion and support healthy immune function. Many processed foods like cereal and yogurt are fortified with them. But did you know your body can make probiotics naturally? Prebiotics, indigestible parts of plants (otherwise known as fermentable fiber), stimulate the growth of good bacteria as they move through your intestinal tract. Bananas, berries, whole grains, leafy greens and legumes are all great sources. Because stress, a poor diet, certain medical conditions and some medications can decrease the amount of healthy bacteria in your gut, eating plenty of probiotics can help maintain equilibrium.